"Security Community"

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Security Community
Airport Security Report


* TSA security management at the two major airports in Houston, Texas, has
been overhauled after an internal investigation led to the resignation of
the Federal Security Director (FSD) and his assistant. 

FSD Jerry Wyatt and Juan Landa resigned their posts Oct. 14 at Houston Hobby
Airport (HOU) and Bush International Airport (IAB) effective immediately for
allowing unscreened bags on board commercial flights. 

TSA screeners and supervisors in Houston complained to Texas congressmen
that unscreened baggage was allowed onto passenger aircraft twice this year.
In March, more than 80 unscreened bags were placed onto aircraft after a
baggage conveyor belt jammed. Managers told screeners to inspect only the
bags they could and to ignore the rest. 

In June, managers told screeners to unload a conveyor belt full of bags
after a power outage. Southwest Airlines [LUV] employees loaded more than
200 unscreened bags onto passenger aircraft. 

Wyatt was FSD in Houston since 2002. 

TSA named Ashley "Skip" Williams, the FSD at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in
Orange County, Calif., as interim FSD at William P. Hobby Airport. 

* The TSA late in October announced the hiring of two FSDs. Jay Brainard,
the FSD at Evansville Regional Airport (EVV) in Indiana, was named FSD on
Oct. 15 at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in Iowa. Brainard replaced
Timothy McDonald, who had been at Des Moines since 2002. On Oct. 22, Larry
Sisneros, the assistant FSD for regulatory inspections at Boise Air
Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI) in Idaho, was named acting FSD at the airport.
Sisneros replaced Julian Gonzales, Boise's FSD since 2002.


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